Combined cleaner and drier for cotton



May 28, 1940 F. B. HINCKLEY, JR Y COMBINED CLEANER AND DRIER FOR COTTON 1. e a e e m 2 8 w .I| w... H w m M 5N,... d e m m .w um @uw www l S J .9 4/ n May 28, 1940- B. HINCKLEY. JR 2,202,151 I COMBINED CLEANER AND DRIER FOR COTTON Filed May 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .l- E E- 77 v uw V #21E-- INVENT ATTORNEY.

Patented May 28, 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,202,151 COBIBINED CLEANER AND DRIER FOR COTT Frank B. Hinckley, Jr., Dallas, Tex.

Application May 19, 1

Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning and drying apparatus for cotton and it has particular reference to such apparatus designed to continuously process cotton preparatory to its delivery :i to the gin.

The principal object of the invention is to remove moisture and trash from the seed cotton before it enters the gin stands with the object in view of conserving the space required for` the operations and to accomplish the cleaning and drying in as little time as possible, yet insuring thorough processing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a complete machine, that is to say, a machine having suction pipes for introducing cotton into the fan drums; a separator for removing'the iniluent air; means for introducing into the hot air chambers and fan drum areas preheated air in some cases under pressure, with means for discharging this air with dust and trash removed from the cotton passing from one stage to another through the machine.

With the foregoing objects as paramount, the invention has particular reference to its salient features of construction and arrangement of parts which will become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal section through the machine.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on lines 2-2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a. fragmentary detail, partly in section showing hot air manifolds on either side of the machine.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail showing the manner in which hot air is delivered into the rearmost hot air chambers, and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the dust hoppers 40 on line 5-5 on Figure 2.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawings, the numeral l designates generally the frame of the machine, the side walls of which are provided with spaced and vertically disposed channel members 2. Similar members 3 extend across the top of the machine.

Rotatably disposed within the machine is a series of spaced fan drums d.. The peculiar feature of these fans lies in the fact that the bladesv 5 are so arranged on their shafts S that they will be tangential with respect thereto. This feature enables the blades 5 to throw the cotton upward into the spaces l between the hot air chambers 8 to which reference will be later made.

The fan drums 4-operate over an equal num- 938, Serial No. 208,848 (Cl. 19-93) ber of foraminous concaves 9 in conveying the cotton to a point of discharge. It is apparent that any number of such fans and concaves may be employed, as desired.

Below the fan drum assembl pairs of dust hoppers Ml, one p drum in the relationship sho These hoppers have interconnected outlets in order that the preheated air, after having served its purpose, combined with dust particles may 10 be discharged through a common conduit, not shown after having passed out of the machine through the outlets of hoppers l, (Fig. l).

A suction pipe il is joined to the rear of the y are arranged -5- air to each fan wn in Figure 5.

machine as shown in Figure 1 and has connecl54 tion with a conventional type of suction fan. This pipe communicates indirectly with the cotton inlet pipe l2 by means of the tube I3 for the purposes to be presently set forth.

Cotton is drawn by suction through the pipe 20 I2 by means of the suction set up in pipe il as described. This incoming cotton is conveyed past the perforations M in the pipe i2 and deposited into the chamber i5 in which is mounted a rapidly revolving fan drum I6 which drops 25 the cotton into the rst of the series of drums d.

It is of course necessary that the air entering pipe l2 with the cotton be separated from the latter. This is the purpose of the perforatic-ns it since they communicate with the pipe or pas- 30 sage il superimposed on the machine through which the suction is drawn through pipe Il, directly communicating with said passage Il by means of tube I3, previously mentioned as being the indirect communicating means between pipes Il and l2.

Since the diameter of apertures I4 is not as to permit passage of the cotton into the sage il and in view of the fact that the c immediately o-Ws out of the inuence of t suction at a point in pipe i2 per or fan drum i6, there is no agitation thereof as it enters the drum chamber i5, the air entering with the cotton being discharged through pipe ll after having been separated from the V cotton.

The foregoing descri the `cleaning features Further details of the such pasott'on he air 40" adJacent the dropp-tion describes partially of the present invention. cleaning of the material Will be set forth as the drying features are described since it is understood that the present machine combines the cleaning with the drying of cotton.

In Figure 1 is shown the s spaced and inclined hot air eries of relatively chambers 8, pre- 2 viously mentioned. These chambers are closed except for the inlets I3 and the nozzles I9 which latt'er discharge preheated air under pressure in two directions into the spaces 'a' between the chambers into which the cotton is projected by the blades of drums it.

In order to convey hot air to the chambers S, manifolds 29 emirace either side ofthe machine (Figs. 2 and 3) and are supplied with super-heated through a common conduit 2i (Fig. 1) which latter communicates with an automatically controlled furnace, (not shown). Hot air from the manifolds is introduced into the chambers through tubes IS, 3.2 and (Fig.

f 1). However, in order to convey hot air to the foremost chamber S, at the iront of the machine, a short inclined conduit 29 is provided which ei fects communication between the pipe 2 i and the chamber S (Fig. 1). The intermediate small conduit 25 enters the rearrnost c amber or space 26a as illustrated in Figure l. This space supplies the necessary heated air at the starting point of the cotton as it is advanced through the machine.

It will be observed in Figures 1 and 2 that the drums li are each provided with heads or flanges 26, each having perforations 21. These perforations are provided in order that hot air may be supplied also to the drums 4, thereby passing a stream of hot air over the cotton which is spread out in a thin layer as it passes under the drums. This supply of air is provided by means of a series of substantially triangular hoods 28, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, solid lines in Figure 4 and in cross section in Figure 2. These hoods communicate by means of tubes 29 (Fig. 4) with the manifolds on either side of the machine and as apparent in Figure 2, with the ports or apertures 21 in the drum heads 26. Thus, the hot air is transported into the drum area of the machine.

In o'peration cotton is drawn into the pipe I2 by suction created in pipe Il, to be discharged into the dropper drum I5, to be in turn deposited into the first of the series of fan drums 4, the attendant air being separated by the passage I1 through perforations I4 (Fig. l).

As the cotton is received by the rst drum, the blades of the latter, due to their peculiar construction, project the cotton upwardly against the baiiles or deflecting surface a, formed by the incline of the walls of the hot air chambers 8, and in the direction of the arrows as shown in Figure l. The hot air expelled from the upwardly directed nozzle I9 propels the cotton upwardly into the tops of the spaces 1 intermediate the hot air chambers 8. The nozzles I9, adjacent the tops of these spaces are effective to continue the arcuate course of the cotton thus projected, which latter, falling out of the influence of air discharged bythe last mentioned nozzle,enters the influence of the hot air discharged by the oppositely directed nozzle I9 opposing the first mentioned nozzle similarly identified. As the cotton is thus propelled about the spaces 1, it is deposited into the next succeeding drum and is subjected to the identical treatment from one unit to the other until nally discharged through the chute 30, (Fig. 1) which conveys the same into the gin stands or to any suitable location.

It will be observed that auxiliary nozzles 3I serve to supply hot air both at the initial as Well as the final treatment of the cotton, that is to say, as the cotton enters the first drum 4 and as it is discharged through chute 30.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modication and such modication as may be construed within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cotton cleaning and drying machine including an enclosure having a series of axially parallel fan drums operating over foraminous concaves, a series of inclined hot air chambers above said drums, their walls affording baiiles against which cotton is projected by said drums, said walls having slots therein through which hot air is released in opposite directions, means for drawing cotton into said machine for treatment progressively by said drums, means for introducing preheated air into said chambers and means for removing trash and air from said cotton during processing thereof.

2. A cotton cleaning and drying machine including a series of fan drums in spaced relationship, their axes being parallel, hot air chambers similarly spaced above said drums and having blast nozzles directed upwardly and downwardly 'with respect to the walls of said chambers, means for introducing cotton into the first of said drums to be progressively passed through said machine by said fan drums, means for introducing preheated air into each of said chambers and said drums, and means for expelling trash and air from said machine.

3. A cotton cleaning machine including a plurality of ian drums operating over foraminous concaves, blades on said drums extending tangentially from the axes thereof to project cotton upwardly, a series of air chambers disposed above and in inclined relationship with said drums and having spaces therebetween into which cotton is projected by said drum blades, said chambers having oppositely directed nozzles for imparting an arcuate motion to the cotton entering said spaces and means for introducing air into said chambers.

4. A cotton cleaning machine including a series of ian drums and bailes above and in inclined relation to said drums defining air chambers and intermediate spaces, said chambers having oppositely directed air blast nozzles for cooperating with said drums in imparting an arcuate motion to cotton in said intermediate spaces as the said cotton is progressively moved from one to the other of said drums.

5. A cotton cleaning machine including a series of fan drums, baiiles above and in inclined relationship with the axes of said drums dening air chambers, the latter having air blast nozzles directed upwardly and downwardly with respect to said baffles and drums to eiect arcuate motion of material between said bales asv said material is progressively transported by said drums through said machine.

FRANK B. HLNCICLEY, JR.

CTI 

